Pierson utilized superior striking combinations and was able to defend several takedown attempts, earning a unanimous-decision result.

The welterweight fight took place at UFC on FX 3 at BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla. It streamed live on Facebook prior to additional prelims on FUEL TV and an FX-televised main card.

Hecht wasted little time taking the fight to the floor, shooting in on a single-leg takedown in the opening seconds and nearly transitioning to the back. However, Pierson defended the advance, shook free and settled into top position. Hecht scrambled up to his feet shortly after, avoiding a guillotine choke while looking to reverse course.

While Pierson was expected to strike with his opponent, he instead took the fight to the floor, where Hecht elbows opened up a few cuts on the top of his opponent’s head. They returned to the feet for the close of the first round, where Pierson landed a nice right hand in an exchange between the two. Between rounds, Hecht received a warning for striking in the mohawk area, but the fight carried on without penalty.

Southpaw Pierson began to find his range in the second, scoring with a series of straight rights, as well as a crisp counter left-uppercut. Hecht made a few earnest attempts to bring the fight to the floor, but he seemed to tire as the frame wore on, and Pierson was able to fend off the charges and keep the fight on the feet, outstriking his opponent in the center of the cage.

Hecht came out the aggressor in the final round, firing off a combination and earning a takedown. However, Pierson locked up his opponent from underneath and earned a quick standup from referee Chris Adams. Hecht continued to move forward on the restart, but Pierson settled back into a groove and scored more points in the standup department, his right hand earning visible damage on Hecht’s left eye.

In the end, the striking Prowess was enough for Pierson, and he was awarded the fight with three 29-28 scores.

With the win, Pierson (12-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) snaps a two-fight losing streak and keeps his spot on the UFC roster.

“I really wanted to push the pace with him to test him there,” Pierson said after the win. “He was definitely a better wrestler than I thought, but I felt like I countered it well with my jiu-jitsu. This was a great win for me, and getting back in the win column couldn’t have come at a better time.”

With the result, Pierson said he’ll now petition UFC president Dana White for a spot on a Canadian card later this year.

“All I can think about right now is getting on the upcoming Toronto card that Dana announced a few months ago,” Pierson said. “That’s my hometown and I want to be on that card so bad for my fans in Ontario.”

Hecht (11-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC), who was victorious in his UFC debut, has now dropped two-straight fights.

“I really needed to get off the cage better during this fight,” Hecht said. “He worked me up against it a lot during the fight, and I just wasn’t fast enough about popping my butt off of it. I should have kept better distance throughout as well.